1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to stringed instruments. More particularly, the present invention pertains to enhancement for bridged string instruments. Even more particularly, the present invention concerns sound enhancement devices for electric and acoustic violin-type bridged stringed instruments.
2. Prior Art
As is known to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains, amplified violin-type electric and acoustic instruments are, essentially, instruments with four or more strings which are played with a bow and are equipped with an electronic output for transmitting their sound. Ordinarily, an electric violin has a solid body which uses a pickup. Pickups are well-known and are provided in one or more configurations.
Among the several configurations there are, for example, integral bridge/pickup designs, pickups that are fitted or glued to a conventional wood bridge and the like.
Piezoelectric pickups for use with electric violins and other electric bowed-stringed instruments are another type of pickup which have long been known. Ordinarily, these pickups are “flat” devices which are either laid in directly into the bridge of the instrument or are fitted into the wing slots of the bridge.
Amplified acoustic violins, on the other hand, typically use an add-on piezoelectric pickup which is disposed either on the bridge or on the body of the instrument.
Although other types of pickups are known, piezoelectric pickups are the most used with both electric and acoustic violins since they are inexpensive and more common. These piezoelectric pickups have different geometric shapes such as discs, cylinders or rectangular and ordinarily comprises flat members. These pickups detect physical or mechanical vibrations either directly from the instrument, but usually from the bridge vibrations which are actually sensed. The pickups convert the mechanical vibrations to electric signals.
Piezoelectric pickups have a high output impedance and are typically plugged into a high impedance input stage in an amplifier or a powered preamp via a jack or the like. The powered input stage buffers the signal by impedance matching, to avoid low frequency loss and microphonic noise pickup in the instrument cable, which is common practice with piezoelectric pickups.
When fitted to a wing slot, present day pickups only contact either the upper wall or the lower wall of the slot, but not both.
As will be discussed hereinafter the present invention overcomes this deficiency through an improved pickup.
Also, as is known to the skilled artisan, the duplication of sound generated by an electric violin or other bowed instrument to accurately simulate that of an acoustic violin is an area that heretofore has not been adequately addressed. Thus, and in another aspect of the present invention, a “cell” disposed on the body of an electric violin in proximity to and in contact with the bridge overcomes this deficiency.
When combining the ability of duplication created by the cell along with the present improved piezoelectric pickup, enhanced sound from an electric violin is rapidly achieved. It is to this to which the present invention is directed.